Leaving Altoona, PA on Monday afternoon meant I got to drive two long days. 9 hours on Monday and 15 hours on Tuesday got me to Denver, close enough. I arrived at destination #1, Breckenridge, CO on Wednesday evening with a storm rolling it.

The storm eventually dropped 22 in the Midwest.  At Breckenridge, it dropped 5 inches. 

Nevertheless, I drove into town, paid the 12$ parking fee at the gondola, and ventured straight to the T-bar figuring good lines could be had.  Being one of the first 20 in line, I was a little excited.  I should have known better. The bowls were full of rocks, wind-blown crunch, and not much snow. My board took a beating, and so did my demeanor. The mountain was crowded and got skied off relatively fast. Grumble.

Friday morning I woke up in my home for 2 weeks with little motivation to go play in the snow.

Upon checking the report on opensnow.com and Joel (no, I don’t know Joel, but he provides a narrative of weather forecasts) suggested a day on the hill. So, I wandered to Vail.
Vail immediately made me happy because I was able to park on Frontage Road, saving my the 25$ parking garage fee. The snow was fluffy and after hiking a bit. Fresh tracks could be found.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k2Fj5O4-4yw

My demeanor was much more pleasant.

LV